Friday 23 February 2007 13.28 EST
First published on Friday 23 February 2007 13.28 EST

Hometown: Born in Cornwall, lives in London.

The lineup: Toms on various instruments, aided and abetted by gentlemen with names like Mumblin' Jim Marshall, Danny D Becciu and Nice 'n' Bleazy Blease.

The background: Toms is a "philanthropist, dandy and songwriter" in love with soft rock, prog pop and the pre-war jazz of Al Bowlly. A world class moustache and beard grower, he has the foppish air of a PG Wodehouse character and dresses like he's stepped out of The Great Gatsby, all spats and cravats.

He's toured with The Feeling and Mika, and genuflects before Guilty Pleasures: his wry musings on love and romance are enhanced by jazzy flourishes and baroque'n'roll echoes of the pomp-pop of ELO, Supertramp and Queen.

For all his idiosyncratic glamour, however, there's a dowdy past to contend with, including a stint manning a rotisserie counter in a supermarket and another teaching sound engineering and composition to bored teenagers. He supported himself through higher education and beyond by performing with soul bands in pubs where he would douse his body with paint and wrap his skinny body in a customised fake snow-leopardskin jacket.

After performing last summer at a festival in Devon, he was approached by a representative of The Handlebar Club (founded in 1947 to promote "a hirsute appendage of the upper lip with graspable extremities"). It was an honour, but not without its challenges. "Eating candyfloss," Toms confides, "will be a nightmare."

The buzz: "Lush and deftly arranged, somewhere between Queen and The Beatles, with a hint of crackly old 78s."

The truth: Yes, yes, but is there room in the charts and our hearts for two Mikas?